Boat mooring attachment



Oct. 29, 1963 W. l. WURDACK BOAT MOORING ATTACHMENT Filed July 18. 1960United States Patent O "ice 3,I%S,563 lrii'l MQRING ATTACK-WENT WaiterI. Wurdack, l Cedarcrest, St. Louis 32, Mo. Filed luly i8, 196%, Ser.No. 43,447 3 (Elaitns. (Si. 114-230) This invention relates toimprovements in boat mooring attachments, and, in particular, isconcerned with a boat mooring attachment whereby a boat may be moored bya rigid boom to pilings or floating dock to prevent the Aboat fromknocking against the pilings or dock.

In the past boats have been conventionally moored to wharves and pilingsby tying them to pilings or other fixtures upon a wharf or pier landIattaching fenders, or the like, to prevent damage when the boat ridesagainst the pier. In such cases the boat, which is normally subjected tomoving water either by currents, tides, 0r `propeller wash from othervessels, moves relatively against the pilings or dock and wear anddamage to the boat often results. Attempts to prevent such damage havebeen largely unsuccesstul.

`By means of the instant invention a rigid boom mooring attachment isprovided. One end of the boom may be clamped to a support on a pierwhile the other end may be rele-asably connected to a mooring bracketpermanently secured to the boat. A swivel and clamp attachment providinga universal connection at the end of the boom, adapted to be connectedto the boat mooring bracket, provides for ready release. It is a furtherfeature of this invention that the boom is pivotally connected to apiling clamp by a counter-weight. The counterweight makes it possiblefor the hoorn to move :automatically to a vertical position in alignmentwith the piling once it is unlockedrrom `a boat mooring bracket. 'Ilhisinsures that the boom is not left in the horizontal position Where itmay be a source of inconvenience to passers-by and other boats.

By the provision of two -suchiboat mooring attachments the bow and thestern of the boat can be readily secured to a wharf or pier. Therigidity provided in the boom prevents lthe boat from riding against thepier and in effeet spaces the boat at a set distance to prevent damage.Through the swivel and universal attachment :a slight degrec of movementis provided so that the hoorn can be readily secured to the boat andalso a very slight degree of movement of the boat forward and backwardcan be obtained. Further, by the natural ilex-ibility and the boatmooring boom compensation may be provided to take into effect theturbulence `and wash provided by passing vessels or currents and thelike in the water. It will also be observed that through the pivotalattachment of the boat mooring boom to the pier clamp, rises and fallsin the level of the water makes it possible for the boat to rideupwardly and downwardly with respect to the wharf and pier in completefreedom.

Further objects of this invention will appear in the detaileddescription which follows and will be otherwise apparent to thoseskilled in the art.

For the purpose of illustration of this invention, there is shown in.the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment. It is to beunderstood that these drawings are for the purpose of example only andthat the invention is not limited thereto.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial view showing a boat Asecured to a pier by theboat mooring attachment of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarge-d top plan view of the piling clamp;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view in fron-t elevation of the *boat mooringboom showing the end that is pivote'd to the pier clamp;

ddhi Patented Get. 29, ISS

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view in iront elevation showing the attachmentof the boat mooring boom to the .pier clamp;

FIGURE 5 is a view in front elevation of the boat mooring end of theboom showing the universal connection and clamping device;

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the boat mooring end of the boom with theuniversal connection and clamping device;

FIGURE 7 is a view in front elevation or a bracket provided on the boatfor receiving the boat mooring boom;

FIGURE 8 is a view in side elevation of the bracket;

FIGURE 9 is a -view of a pin used to secure the boom to the boat mooringbracket;

FIGURE l0 is a top plan view showing the securing of the end of theboa-t mooring boom to the mooring bracket mounted upon the boat; and

FIGURE 11 is a view in section taken on the line 1i- 11 of FIGURE l0.

The boat mooring attachment of this invention is generally indicated bythe reference numeral Ztl in FIGURE l. As shown in FIGURE l, it connectsa boat Z2 to a piling 24 that forms the end of a pier 26. Further, asshown in FIGURE l, two such boat mooring attachments 2t) are employed,Ione being at the bow lof the boat and the other being at the stern toconnect the boat to separate pilings.

The main components olf the boat mooring attachment 26 comprise a boom'23, a co-iunterweight boom 30; a clamp 32 for a piling or othervertical supp-ort, and a boom securing bracket 34, mounted upon `theboat. The clamp 32 is best shown in FIGURES 2 and 4. As shown therein itis comprised of two hemispherical rings 36 and 33 adapted to be `drafwntogether Aby bolts 4l), One of the cla-mp rings, namely clamp ring 3S,is further provided with a radial stu-b shaft 42 threaded at end 44 soas to receive a securing nut 46 as 'shown in FIGURE 4 to secure the boomhousing to the clamp.

The boom 2S is Imade of tubular steel, aluminum, or other rigid:material of construction which is strong yet has some degree offlexibility. It may be either straight as shown, or bent, and isconnected to the clamp 32 by means of a housing 48 best shown in FIGURES3 and 4. The housing `4% is provided with la sleeve Sti` which receivesthe boom. This sleeve is further provided with means for receiving thehoorn in such -a manner that the two may be relatively positioned withrespect to one another to increase or shorten the eiiective boom lengthas w'ell as to provide 4for relative notation.

Thus, on either side of the sleeve 5() ladjustable collars 5l areprovided. These collars are provided with a setscrew 52 that may beadjusted in binding relation in an axial slot 53 in the boom member 23.'I'he collars may be adjusted accordingly, :to lincrease or decrease theeilective length of the boom. Also, relative rotation of the boom memberwithin the sleeve 5t) to provide for a more convenient securing of theend of the boom to the boat bracket 34 is accomplished.

The housing 48 is further provided with :a sleeve 54 locatedperpendicularly to the axis of sleeve S9. Sleeve 54 is of a size to ftclosely upon the stub shaft 42 of the pier clamp so that the entirehousing may be rotated about said shaft. An additional sleeve 55 isfurther provided upon the housing 48. This sleeve is of a smallerdiameter than the sleeve 5i) and receives a counterweight mechanism. Theentire housing 4S may be made of a single casting, or can be forgedwhere desired.

The counterweight 30 is best shown in FIGURES l, 3, and 4. As thereshown, it is comprised of a counterweight shaft 56 provided withcounteriveights 53 at one end. The other end is threaded at 60 and isprovided with securing nut 62 for connection with the sleeve 55 of theboom housing.

The boom 28 is further provided at the end opposite that which isconnected to the pier with a mooring clamp generally indicated yby thereference numeral 64, which is adapted to be connected to the mooringbracket 34. The clamp 64 is formed of two half rings 66 and 68, whichare adapted to be locked together by a pin 70 as shown at FIGURE 9. Theclamp ring 66 is pivoted to a bifurcated swivel 72 that is connected tothe end of the boom to provide a universal connection. The pivotingtakes place about a pivot pin 74 positioned upon the swivel.

The mooring bracket 34 is best shown in FIGURES 7, 8, and l1. As thereshown, it comprises a strong base 76 adapted to be secured to the boatdeck and two upstanding supports 78 and 80, which support a bracketshaft 82. The Ishaft 82 receives the clamp 64 yon the end of the boom inthe manner shown in FIGURES 10 and 1l.

Use

The boat mooring boom of this invention is very simply used and requiresno complicated technique or skill. In the set-up of the device thepiling clamp 32 is rst connected to the piling 24. Thus, the clamp, asshown in FIGURE 2, is secured to a piling by drawing tight the bolts 40after iirst positioning the clamp in the manner shown in FIGURE l withthe studs located to the front of one piling and to the rear `for theother piling. After the clamp has been secured, the housing 48 isslipped upon it in the position shown in FIGURES l and 4 and a securingnut 46 is then attached. This completes the securing of the boom to thepiling.

It will be noted that when the boom is not in use it will be rotatedautomatically by the counterweight in a counterclockwise direction forthe front boom shown in FGURE 1. The boom will automatically assume avertical position with the counterweight 30 being located at the bottomand the boom 28 stretching upward vertically above the piling. Thispositions the boom out of the way of passersby or `other boats andprevents damage.

The boat to be moored is provided with the mooring brackets 34, onebeing located on the bow as shown in FIGURE 1, and the other beinglocated in the stern portion of the boat as will be readily understood.The bracket is secured to the deck with the shaft 82 being parallel tothe axis of the -boat from front -torear. The brackets 34 positionedupon the bow rand the stern will be located in such a manner that theends of the bloom 28 upon the two pilings can be drawn down inapproximate juxta-position. This can also be accomplished by properlypositioning the clamps 32 upon the piling and it will be understood thatthe clamps can be rotated about the piling where desired to provide forthe proper fit.

Once the brackets have been attached to the Vessel and the boom isconnected -to the piling, the securing of the boat is very simple. Theend of the boom 28 adjacent the mooring attachment is drawn downwardlyto the position shown in FIGURE 1 with the clamp 64 being open. Thus,the clamp is opened to the position shown by broken lines in FIGURE 5.After this has been done, the boat, which of course rides very easily inwater, is positioned by the opeartor in such a manner that the openclamp 64 can be fitted around the shaft 82 of the mooring bracket byproper positioning and rotation of the boom. Once this has beenaccomplished, the clamp is closed `and the pin 70 is inserted in theclamp to lock it about the mooring bracket in the manner shown inFIGURES 10 and 11. It will be noted that the swivel 72 Afurther providesfor a slight degree of movement of the end of the clamp to easilyposition it upon the mooring bracket. This movement is further enhancedby the relative rotation that is possible of the boom within the sleeve50.

Both booms are adapted to be secured to the mooring brackets 54 inidentical fashion. Once this clamping engagement has been effected inthe manner previously described, the boat is firmly secured and moored.Water level variations are readily compensated for by the rising andlowering of the boat in accordance with such variations and the boom maypivot with the housing 48 about the piling clamp to accommodate suchvariations. However, -the boat will be Securely positioned at all -timesduring such 'movement and will be spaced from the end of the pier toprevent banging against the pier and will thereby prevent possibledamage.

When the boat is desired to be released from the mooring boom theldisengaging operation is extremely simple. All that need to be done isto pull out the pin 70 from the boat mooring bracket and the boom clamp.Once the clamp pin has been disengaged, 4the clamp will be opened andthe boom 21) will, upon release by the operator, automatically return tothe vertical position because of the action of the counterweight 30.Both bow and stern boom are, of course, released in identical fashion.

It will be `apparent that there has been provided a very simplyconstructed and simply operated boat mooring boom. The mooring boom4with its piling clamp and Imooring attachment are very effective in thedesired operation to provide a `simple mooring device which prevents theboat from riding against a wharf, pier, or the like. The convenience ofuse has been amply demonstr-ated and it will be apparent that themooring boom can be advantageously employed with convenience and safety.

Various changes and modifications may be :made within this invention aswill be yobvious to those skilled in the art. Such changes andmodifications are within the Scope and teaching of this invention asdefined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A boat mooring boom comprising a rigid elongated boom member, meansfor pivotally securing a rst end of the boom to `a shore installation,said means comprising la supporting shaft extending horizontally andparallel to the boat to be moored and Aa housing rotatably supportedupon Isaid shaft and having means connecting the first end of the boomperpendicularly to the supporting shaft, said iirst end being providedwith a counterweight shaft extending oppositely to said boom member andfixed thereto and counterweight means fixed on the end of saidcounterweight shaft and rotatable with said counterweight shaft forautomatically rotating the boom to a vertical position when not in useand means for releasably securing `a second end of the boom to a boat,said last named means being pivotally connected to the end of the yboomin tixed relation thereto by a universal connecting member including alocking ring member adapted to lock loosely yaround a bracket shaftprovided upon the boat.

2. A boat moo-ring boom comprising a rigid elongated boom member, mean-sfor pivotally securing a first end of the boom to a vertical piling,said means comprising ya piling clamp, said clamp having a supportingshaft extending horizontally from said piling clamp and a boom housingrotatably supported upon said shaft and having means connecting the-lirst end of the boom perpendicularly to the supporting shaft, saidiirst end being provided with ya counterweight shaft extendingoppositely to said boom member and iixed thereto and counterweight meansxed on the end of said counterweight shaft and rotatable with saidcounterweight shaft for automatically rotating the boom to `a verticalposition when not in use, land means for releasably securing a secondend of the boom in iixed relation to a boat.

3. A boat mooring boom comprising a rigid elongated boom member, meansfor pivotally securing a first end of the boom to a vertical piling,said means comprising annabee a piling clamp, Isaid clamp having asupporting shaft extending horizontally Ifrom said piling `clamp and aboom housing rotatably supported upon said shaft and having meansconnecting the rst end `of the Iboom perpendiculanly to the supportingshaft, said rst end being provided with a -eounterweight shaft extendingoppositely to said :boom member and iixed thereto and countervveightmeans fixed on the end `of said `oountervveight shaft `and rotatablewith said counterweight shaft for automatically rotating the boom to avertical position when not in use, and means for releasabiy securing aysecond end of the boom to a boat, said last named means being pivotallyconnected to the end of the boom in xed relation by a universalvconnecting member in- `eluding a locking ring member yadapted to lock'loosely around a ybracket shaft provided upon the boat.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A BOAT MOORING BOOM COMPRISING A RIGID ELONGATED BOOM MEMBER, MEANSFOR PIVOTALLY SECURING A FIRST END OF THE BOOM TO A SHORE INSTALLATION,SAID MEANS COMPRISING A SUPPORTING SHAFT EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY ANDPARALLEL TO THE BOAT TO BE MOORED AND A HOUSING ROTATABLY SUPPORTED UPONSAID SHAFT AND HAVING MEANS CONNECTING THE FIRST END OF THE BOOMPERPENDICULARLY TO THE SUPPORTING SHAFT, SAID FIRST END BEING PROVIDEDWITH A COUNTERWEIGHT SHAFT EXTENDING OPPOSITELY TO SAID BOOM MEMBER ANDFIXED THERETO AND COUNTERWEIGHT MEANS FIXED ON THE END OF SAIDCOUNTERWEIGHT SHAFT AND ROTATABLE WITH SAID COUNTERWEIGHT SHAFT FORAUTOMATICALLY ROTATING THE BOOM TO A VERTICAL POSITION WHEN NOT IN USEAND MEANS FOR RELEASABLY SECURING A SECOND END OF THE BOOM TO A BOAT,SAID LAST NAMED MEANS BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE END OF THE BOOMIN FIXED RELATION THERETO BY A UNIVERSAL CONNECTING MEMBER INCLUDING ALOCKING RING MEMBER ADAPTED TO LOCK LOOSELY AROUND A BRACKET SHAFTPROVIDED UPON THE BOAT.